EP3328191A1 - Procédé et système pour fournir des portions de nourriture contrôlées à un animal et évaluer la santé de l'animal - Google Patents

Procédé et système pour fournir des portions de nourriture contrôlées à un animal et évaluer la santé de l'animal

Info

Publication number
EP3328191A1
EP3328191A1 EP16904854.3A EP16904854A EP3328191A1 EP 3328191 A1 EP3328191 A1 EP 3328191A1 EP 16904854 A EP16904854 A EP 16904854A EP 3328191 A1 EP3328191 A1 EP 3328191A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
feeding
food product
animal
food
platform
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP16904854.3A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP3328191A4 (fr
Inventor
Brian Ausman
Christine Stec
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Lioness Feeding Technology Inc
Original Assignee
Lioness Feeding Technology Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Lioness Feeding Technology Inc filed Critical Lioness Feeding Technology Inc
Publication of EP3328191A1 publication Critical patent/EP3328191A1/fr
Publication of EP3328191A4 publication Critical patent/EP3328191A4/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/02—Automatic devices
    • A01K5/0291—Automatic devices with timing mechanisms, e.g. pet feeders
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/01—Feed troughs; Feed pails
    • A01K5/0114—Pet food dispensers; Pet food trays
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/01—Feed troughs; Feed pails
    • A01K5/0114—Pet food dispensers; Pet food trays
    • A01K5/0135—Pet food dispensers; Pet food trays with means for preventing or catching spillage
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/01—Feed troughs; Feed pails
    • A01K5/0114—Pet food dispensers; Pet food trays
    • A01K5/0142—Pet food dispensers; Pet food trays with means for preventing other animals or insects from eating
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/02—Automatic devices
    • A01K5/0258—Automatic devices with endless screws
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01K—ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; CARE OF BIRDS, FISHES, INSECTS; FISHING; REARING OR BREEDING ANIMALS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NEW BREEDS OF ANIMALS
    • A01K5/00—Feeding devices for stock or game ; Feeding wagons; Feeding stacks
    • A01K5/02—Automatic devices
    • A01K5/0275—Automatic devices with mechanisms for delivery of measured doses
    • A01K5/0283—Automatic devices with mechanisms for delivery of measured doses by weight

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an automated method and system for feeding animals, more specifically it relates to providing controlled portions of food to a uniquely identified animal in a predetermined time period, and in accordance with the animal's dietary restrictions.
  • Household pets are typically feed at least three times a day, and so it is no surprise that more than 8.3 million tons of cat and dog food (wet, dry, treats and mixers) were sold in the United States in 2013, which amounts to about $20 billion in sales.
  • feeding methods employed by most pet owners, such as free-choice feeding, also known as “ad lib” feeding or “free feeding”, in which food is available at all times, such that the pet can eat as much and whenever it desires.
  • This approach is used for most nursing pets, and is most appropriate when feeding dry food, which will not spoil if left out.
  • some pets are prone to overeating as they lack self-regulation, and therefore this approach often leads to obesity.
  • portion-control feeding which entails measuring the pet's food in order to control the amount of food that can be consumed.
  • food can be provided in one or more meals daily, and this method is typically used for weight control programs and for animals that might overeat if they are on firee- choice feeding.
  • timed feeding method which involves making a portion of food available for consumption for a specified period of time, after which any food that is not consumed is removed.
  • pet food is designed to be species-specific, and it is not appropriate for a cat to eat dog foo, as dog food may not provide all the essential nutrients a healthy cat needs, and vice-versa.
  • some pets might consume more food or water than others, thus depriving others of food or water.
  • Such inequitable distribution of food and water may lead to health issues, and some pets may become obese, while others may be malnourished or underweight.
  • some pets may be on strict or special diet that dictates consumption of specific amounts of food at predetermined times, such as diets to counter obesity, diabetes, or urinary conditions.
  • diets to counter obesity, diabetes, or urinary conditions.
  • these dietary needs are usually unique to each pet, it can be very challenging, if not impossible, to maintain each pet on a specific feeding regimen, or schedule, and if separate diets are introduced, it can be nearly impossible.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said first food product and said second food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a first food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said first food product
  • a second food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said second food product
  • a weigh hopper having a first section for receiving said first food product from said first food dispensing unit; and a second section for receiving said second food product from said second food dispensing unit;
  • a feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper, and a feeding platform sweeping member comprising a first compartment to receive said first food product and a second compartment to receive said second food product; and whereby feeding platform sweeping member is caused to clear unconsumed said first food product and unconsumed second food product off said feeding platform;
  • first disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed first food product from said feeding platform, and a second disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed second food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event;
  • At least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said first food product in said first section of said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and the weight of said second food product in said second section of said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said first food product in said first disposal bin and the weight of said second food product in said second disposal bin following said feeding event.
  • a method for dispensing at least one food product for at least one animal in a feeding station enclosure comprising the steps of:
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product
  • a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper;
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said hemi- circular disc-shaped feeding platform, and disposed on said hemi-circular discshaped feeding platform before said food product is released from said weigh hopper prior to said feeding event; and wherein said hemi-frustoconical sweeping member comprises at least one compartment to contain said food product;
  • At least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event
  • At least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • At least one supply hopper having a food product
  • a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product
  • a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a feeding platform for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper; and a sweeping member comprising at least one compartment to contain said food product on said feeding platform; said sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said feeding platform to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after a feeding event.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a plurality of food dispensing units having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product from at least one of said plurality of supply hoppers;
  • At least one weigh hopper having a plurality of sections for receiving said food product from at least one of said plurality of food dispensing units;
  • feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said at least one weigh hopper, and a feeding platform sweeping member comprising a plurality of compartments to receive said food; and whereby feeding platform sweeping member is caused to clear unconsumed said food product off said feeding platform; a plurality of disposal bins for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event; and
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product
  • a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper;
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a feeding platform sweeping member for clearing unconsumed food product off said feeding platform
  • At least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event
  • At least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event.
  • a method for dispensing at least one food product for at least one animal in a feeding station enclosure comprising the steps of:
  • feeding habits including at least one of: type and amount of food consumed, and rate and frequency of consumption; time of day of feeding events, duration of feeding events.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product
  • a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper;
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said hemi- circular disc-shaped feeding platform, and disposed on said hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform before said food product is released from said weigh hopper prior to said feeding event; and said hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after said feeding event; at least one disposal bin for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event; and
  • At least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in said at least one disposal bin following said feeding event.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product
  • a weigh hopper for receiving said food product from said food dispensing unit; a hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper; and
  • a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member rotatable on a top surface of said hemi- circular disc-shaped feeding platform to remove unconsumed food product off said feeding platform after a feeding event.
  • a feeding station for at least one animal comprising:
  • a portal to said enclosure for allowing access to said food product by said at least one animal for a feeding event
  • a plurality of food dispensing units having means for dispensing controlled portions of said food product from at least one of said plurality of supply hoppers;
  • At least one weigh hopper having a plurality of sections for receiving said food product from at least one of said plurality of food dispensing units;
  • feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said at least one weigh hopper, and a feeding platform sweeping member comprising a plurality of compartments to receive said food; and whereby feeding platform sweeping member is caused to clear unconsumed said food product off said feeding platform; a plurality of disposal bins for receiving said unconsumed food product from said feeding platform following said feeding event; and
  • At least one weight sensor for determining the weight of said food product in at least one of said plurality of sections of said weigh hopper before said feeding event, and for determining the weight of said food product in at least one of said plurality of disposal bins following said feeding event.
  • a method and system for assessing the health of an animal by monitoring the animal's consumption levels of food, including weight, within predetermined time frames to form at least one dataset for determining the animal's health status, and regulating future consumption based on the health status.
  • the claimed invention provides controlled portions of food only to uniquely identified animals within predetermined time periods, and keeps track of the animal's eating habits, by determining the type and amount of food consumed, and rate and frequency of consumption. Accordingly, automatic feeding of individual diets in multi-animal households is facilitated in a more convenient fashion, and thus has the potential to ease the schedules of busy animal owners.
  • the claimed invention is also relatively cost effective as it substantially reduces the possibility of food wastage due to over-feeding, and also promotes observance of the dietary needs of the animals.
  • Figure la is a side elevation view of a feeding station;
  • Figure lb shows a cut-away perspective view of the feeding station;
  • Figure lc shows a cut-away side view of the feeding station
  • Figure Id shows a sectional view of the feeding station, taken along line
  • Figure 2 is a top-level component architecture diagram of an exemplary feeding station
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a feeding system
  • Figure 4 is a top-level component schematic of an exemplary animal sensing module
  • Figure 5 is a cut-away top view of the feeding station
  • Figure 6 is a top view of a dispensing mechanism for a food product
  • Figure 7a is a top perspective view of the dispensing mechanism of
  • Figure 7b is a perspective view of a trough with an auger of the dispensing mechanism
  • Figure 7c is a top view of the trough with an auger of the dispensing mechanism
  • Figure 7d is a cut through view of the trough with an auger of the dispensing mechanism
  • Figure 8a is a cut-away perspective view of a weighing platform chamber and a feeding chamber
  • Figure 8b is a perspective view of a weigh hopper
  • Figure 8c is a top perspective view of the weigh hopper
  • Figure 8d is another perspective view of the weigh hopper
  • Figures 9a to 9c show various perspective views of the weighing platform chamber and the feeding chamber
  • Figure 9d shows a top view of a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member on a feeding platform
  • Figure 9e shows a back view of the weighing platform chamber
  • Figures 10a to lOf show various positions of the hemi-frustoconical sweeping member as it is rotated between the feeding chamber and the weighing platform chamber;
  • Figures 1 la to 11c show a high level flow diagram illustrating exemplary process steps for automatically feeding a uniquely-identified animal
  • Figure 12 show a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member, in another embodiment.
  • Figures 13a to 13c show various positions of the hemi-frustoconical sweeping member of Figure 12 as it is rotated between the feeding chamber and the weighing platform chamber.
  • Feeding station 10 is generally egg-shaped and comprises upper portion 12 with hinged lid 13 operable between a closed position and a closed position, lower portion 14, and base 15.
  • Upper portion 12 comprises one or more supply hoppers 16a, 16b, for holding supplies of food product 17, which are dispensed to feeding chamber 18 formed within lower portion 14.
  • Dispensed food product 17 is accessed by animal 11, via tunnel 20 having tunnel entrance 22 dimensioned to receive a portion of animal 11, such as head and neck.
  • the egg-shaped nature of the upper portion 12 of the enclosure discourages animals 11, such as cats, from resting on top of it. Generally, a cat in that resting position may intimidate other cats from approaching feeding station 10, or may physically impede other cats from using feeding station 10.
  • dispensing platform 23 supporting food dispensing unit 24 operable to dispense controlled portions of food, such as dry food, or mixers and treats, to feeding chamber 18.
  • the controlled food portions are weighed in weighing platform chamber 19, and subsequently delivered to feeding chamber 18 via a drop chute 26, to land on feeding platform 28.
  • Dispensing platform 23 also carries control system 31 on printed circuit board 32.
  • Control system 31 comprises a general computing system having processing circuitry, such as, microprocessor 34, which is arranged to communicate, via system bus
  • memory 38 may be provided by a variety of components including a volatile memory, a hard drive, a non-volatile memory, etc. Indeed, memory 38 comprises a plurality of components under the control of the, or otherwise connected to, microprocessor 34. However, typically memory 38 provides a program storage portion 46 arranged to store program code which when executed performs an action, such as feeding program or sensing program, and data storage portion 47 which can be used to store data either temporarily and/or permanently.
  • Communications interface module 48 is also coupled to microprocessor
  • feed station 10 is associated with a unique identifier, such as a media access control (MAC) address.
  • communications interface module 48 enables connection to one or more computing devices 49, 50, and to shared or remote drives, via communications network 51.
  • Computing devices 49, 50 may be in the form of any kind of general processing structure, and may for example include any device, such as, a personal computer, laptop, computer server, handheld user device (e.g. mobile phone, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch).
  • feeding station 10 may be performed via a user interface 52 coupled to microprocessor 34 executing an appropriate application program, or via computing devices 49, 50 with a suitable application program.
  • Each animal 11 is associated with an animal profile comprising a unique identifier, dietary needs, feeding schedule to form a feeding program or regimen that is stored in database
  • a user may enter the desired number of meals for a particular animal 11 within a predetermined time period, and microprocessor 34 automatically calculates the correct amount of food to dispense for each meal, and/or determines the feeding schedule.
  • a daily allotment of food may be set such that animal
  • Exemplary user interface 52 is associated with lid 13 and comprises a display such as a liquid crystal display and may include button actuators, LEDs.
  • animal sensing module 40 comprises radio frequency identification (RFID) reader assembly 55 with electronic circuitry 56 comprising a transceiver associated with a suitable antenna 57, and interrogates passive RFID tag 58 associated with animal 11 when animal 11 is positioned within feeding chamber 18, and within the read range of the antenna 57, or adjacent feeding platform 28.
  • RFID tag 58 comprises a unique identifier corresponding to a particular animal 11, and RFID reader 55 recognizes the specific animal 11 via RFID tag 58.
  • microprocessor 34 executes preprogrammed instructions associated with the feeding program to dispense a specific amount of food for a specific animal 11.
  • an exemplary audit log associated with a feeding event may include identification of animal 11, type of food product 17, manufacturer of food product 17, feeding time, feeding frequency, feeding rate, food weight, food consumption (based on dispensed amount measurement, unconsumed food measurement), and so forth.
  • RF shield 59 such as a Faraday cage, formed by a conducting material or mesh blocks out external static electrical fields, such as radio waves, and prevents triggering of RFID reader 55 to interrogate RFID tags 58 external of feeding chamber 18. Accordingly, RFID reader 55 can act as a presence detector for animal 11, and therefore initiate the dispensation of food product 17 for animal 11 present in feeding chamber 18.
  • presence detecting devices 60 such as proximity sensors, photoelectric detectors, or ultrasonic detectors, positioned adjacent the tunnel entrance 22 may be employed.
  • Food dispensing module 42 receives instructions from microprocessor 34 to dispense a specific type and amount of food product 17 corresponding to the uniquely-identified animal.
  • the food supply may be replenished as needed by a user, and may include sensors for determining food levels in supply hoppers 16a, 16b, or amount of food remaining in order to issue alerts to a user based on the predetermined threshold levels, or advise the user of the remaining number of feeds remaining based on the feeding schedule and associated feeding portions.
  • food dispensing unit 24 comprises supply hoppers 16a, 16b for holding food product 17, troughs 62a, 62b comprising dispensing mechanism 63, and weigh hopper 64.
  • Supply hoppers 16a, 16b may hold the same type of food product 17 or different types of food product 17, depending on the diet of animal 11, or user preferences. Therefore, one or more types of food products 17 are introduced into supply hoppers 16a, 16b via lid 13 when open, and food product 17 is discharged therefrom via retractable gate control 65a, 65b disposed between exit port 66a, 66b of each of supply hoppers 16a, 16b, and troughs 62a, 62b, respectively.
  • Gate control 65a or 65b is a longitudinally-extending plate with aperture 67 formed with the plate. Gate control 65a or 65b is resiliently-biased and slidable to place exit port 66a, 66b to maintain exit port 66a in a closed position. Gate control 65a or 65b is caused slides out away from a cover of upper portion 12, upon application of a force on gate control 65a or 65b away from the cover of upper portion 12, thereby positioning aperture 67 coaxially with exit port 66a or 66b to allow food product 17 to descend into troughs 62a, 62b.
  • Gate control 65 a or 65b Removal of the force causes gate control 65 a or 65b to slides back in to position aperture 67 non-coaxially with exit ports 66a, 66b to prevent food product 17 from flowing into troughs 62a, 62b.
  • Gate control 65a, 65b are manually operated, or may be controlled by a solenoid.
  • Troughs 62a, 62b are angularly disposed within cutouts 68a, 68b of platform 30. As shown in Figure 6, cut-outs 68a, 68b are angled towards each other at one end, such that food product 17 from troughs 62a, 62b is dispensed into the same weigh hopper 64. Looking at Figures 7a, 7b, and 7c, trough 62a is generally polygonal and comprises opposed longitudinal extending sidewalls 70, 72, joined by back wall 74 at back end 76 and by front wall 78 at front end 79, with base wall 80 connecting all walls 70, 72, 74 and 78.
  • Opposed longitudinal extending sidewalls 70, 72 also include raised shoulders 81, 82 with flanges 83, 84 which extend from about midway between back end 76 and front end 79, and to back end 76.
  • Trough opening 85 is defined by walls 70, 72, with raised shoulders 81, 82, and walls 74 and 78.
  • Back wall 74 includes circular opening 90 adjacent to base wall 80, which receives dispensing mechanism 63.
  • dispensing mechanism 63 comprises auger member 90a mounted on shaft 92a, and coupled thereto is motor unit 94a and gear reducer 96, and auger member 90b mounted on shaft 92b, and coupled thereto is motor unit 94b and gear reducer 96.
  • Auger members 90a and 90b have similar features, and troughs 62a and 62b also have similar features.
  • Figure 7c shows a side view of food hopper 16a secured to flanges 83, 84 of trough 62a secured angularly on dispensing platform 23.
  • Food product 17 from supply hopper 16a is discharged via exit port 66a and received at back end 76 of trough 62a, and contained within raised shoulders 81, 82 while minimizing any overflow, and food product 17 is progressively pushed along trough 62a by auger member 90a from back end 76 towards trough dispensing port 86a coupled to cylindrical spout 88a.
  • Auger member 90a is driven by motor unit 94a, such as a stepper motor, which provides a torque to rotate auger member 90a under the control of microprocessor 34 to dispense a known quantity of food product 17 from trough 62a.
  • auger member 90a comprises a helical shaped flight 100 along longitudinally extending shaft 92, with a predetermined and progressive pitch between flight blades 102, as can be seen in Figure 7b.
  • the flight pitch Fpi between flight blades 102a and 102b is smaller than the flight pitch Fp 2 between flight blades 102b and 102c, with the flight pitch Fp 3 between flight blades 102c and 102d being the largest spacing.
  • Troughs 62a, 62b with auger members 90a, 90b, respectively, are disposed within cut-outs 68a, 68b at an upward angle, such that food product 17 is received primarily at back end 76 and contained within raised shoulders 81, 82.
  • the upward angle is selected to reduce the initial burst of food product 17 that would occur if walls 70, 72 of troughs 62a, 62b were substantially parallel with dispensing platform
  • the reduced height of food product 17 within troughs 62a, 62b beyond raised shoulders 81, 82 allows the natural bridging of food product 17 to occur earlier in the rotation of auger member 90a or 90b, and therefore improved food product 17 flow control is realized.
  • the angle of repose of troughs 62a, 62b with auger members 90a, 90b also reduces bridging around trough dispensing port 86a or 86b.
  • one full revolution of the auger member 90a or 90b may be calibrated to dispense food product 17 in a single pitch of the flight.
  • a predetermined number of rotational degrees of auger member 90a or 90b results in a corresponding known amount of food product 17 being dispensed. For example, one complete rotation may result in 5 grams of food product 17 being dispensed, while a half-revolution results in 2.5 grams of dispensed food product 17.
  • weigh hopper 64 is positioned below cylindrical spout 88a to receive food product 17 from trough 62a, and cylindrical spout
  • weighing platform 110 is built across 3 load cell sensors 116a, 116b and 116c, which are arranged in a summing network.
  • hopper 64 comprises a pair of load jaw sections 120a,
  • Load jaw sections 120a, 120b are coupled to each other via jaw gear linkages 122a, 122b, as shown in Figures 8a to 8d.
  • the initial tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins 112, 114 in an empty state is recorded.
  • Food product 17 from trough 62a is received in load jaw section 120a, while food product 17 from trough 62b is received in load jaw section 120b.
  • the weight of the dispensed food product 17 is measured and recorded.
  • Chute sections 128a, 128b are separate from each other such that food product 17 from load jaw sections 120a and 120b do not mix. Chute sections 128a, 128b terminate at chute opening 130 in separator wall 132 fixedly attached to base 15, and food product 17 from load jaw sections 120a and 120b is received on feeding platform 28 via chute opening 130.
  • Separator wall 132 is disposed between feeding chamber 18 and weighing platform chamber 19, and extends between upper end 137, below troughs 62a, 62b adjacent to cylindrical spouts 88a, 88b to lower end 138 abutting base 15.
  • feeding platform 28 is a hemi-circular disc, with top surface 131, radially extending outwardly from separation wall 132 into feeding chamber 18, and is fixedly attached to adjacent lower end 138 of separation wall 132.
  • Feeding platform 28 is elevated above base 15 by hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136, abutting bottom surface 139 of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28.
  • Hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136 extends radially outwardly into feeding chamber 18, and is fixedly attached to base 15 and separator wall 132.
  • Hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136 have substantially the same radius.
  • disposal bins 112, 114 are less than the height of feeding platform 28 above base 15, and disposal bins 112, 114 are slidably removable from lower portion 14 for disposal of unconsumed food product 17.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 Positioned above feeding platform 28 is hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 resembling half of a base-less frustoconical bowl, with hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 in a vertical axis, and having a radius that is greater than the radius of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136.
  • Hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 comprises free top edge 144, and free opposed side edges 148, 150 orthogonal to free top edge 144, and bottom edge 152.
  • Angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 extending inwardly from bottom edge 152 of hemi-circular upstanding wall 142, oblique to the vertical axis with edges 158, 160, and includes free, bottom edge 156 abutting top surface 131 of feed platform 28.
  • the radius of angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 that is substantially the same as the radius of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member
  • Longitudinal, angled wall 162 extends inwardly between edges 158, 160, and includes free, longitudinal top edge 164 and free, longitudinal bottom edge 166 abutting top surface 131 of feed platform 28. Accordingly, when food product 17 arrives via chute 130, it lands on top surface 131 of feeding platform 28 and is contained primarily by angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 and longitudinal, angled wall 162.
  • hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 angled hemi-circular platform wall
  • angled wall 162 may be unitarily-formed.
  • gear-head housing 170 for receiving drive gear 172 coupled to sweeping member servo 174 fixedly attached to base 15. Sweeping member servo 174 is actuable to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 through cutouts 180, 182, 184 in separator wall 130, before and after a feeding event.
  • cut-out 182 is dimensioned to fit free opposed side edge 148
  • cut-out 180 is dimensioned to fit free opposed side edge 150, such that hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 with free top edge 144 can rotate in and out of cut-outs 180 and 182.
  • cut-out 184 is dimensioned to fit angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 and longitudinal, angled wall 162, such unitarily- formed angled hemi-circular platform wall 154 and longitudinal, angled wall 162 can rotate in and out of cut-out 184.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 can be positioned within feeding chamber 18 or weighing platform chamber 19.
  • Figures 10a to lOf show the various positions of hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 as it is rotated between feeding chamber 18 and weighing platform chamber 19.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is positioned directly above feeding platform 28 such that free bottom edge 156 of angled hemi- circular platform wall 154 and free, longitudinal bottom edge 166 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 engage top surface 131 of feeding platform 28, and free, longitudinal top edge 164 of leading half-portion 190 and trailing half-portion 192 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 are co-axially aligned with separation wall 132.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 has started to rotate clockwise, and free opposed side edge 150 of hemi-circular upstanding wall 142 has traversed cut-out 180, and portions of angled hemi-circular platform wall
  • FIG. 10c shows leading half-portion 190 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 positioned substantially above disposal bin 112, while other trailing half-portion 192 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 is positioned about midway of feeding platform 28. Accordingly, any food product 17 remaining on top surface 131 is progressively swept by trailing half-portion 192 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 into disposal bin 112.
  • the majority of hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is now within weighing platform chamber 19.
  • Leading half-portion 190 is positioned substantially above disposal bin 114, while trailing half-portion 192 is still positioned on feeding platform 28, adjacent to separation wall 132. Accordingly, most of food product 17 remaining on top surface 131 has now been swept by trailing half-portion 192 into disposal bin 112.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is now contained within weighing platform chamber 19, and free, longitudinal top edge 164 of leading half-portion 190 and trailing half-portion 192 of longitudinal, angled wall 162 are co-axially aligned with separation wall 132. Accordingly, all of food product 17 remaining on top surface 131 has now been swept by trailing half-portion 192 into disposal bin 112.
  • hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 wipes off remaining food product 17 into the correct bin 112 or 114, depending on the type of food product 17 that was originally dispensed. After hemi- frustoconical sweeping member 140 clears feeding platform 28, the weight of disposal bin 112 or 114 is then measured again, and recorded, thereby allowing determination of the weight of food product 11 consumed by animal 11. Before another animal 11 enters feeding tunnel 20, another tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins 112, 114 in an empty state is recorded and the entire process repeats.
  • FIGS 1 la to 11c show a high level flow diagram illustrating exemplary process steps for automatically feeding a uniquely-identified animal 11 in accordance with the dietary needs thereof. It is foreseen that multiple animals 11 may be automatically fed specific meals based on their unique identity. Using user interface 52 or user device 49, an animal profile is created. Accordingly, feeding station 10 may be programmed to provide food product 17 to animal 11 having an animal profile, and the animal profile is associated with a unique serial number of RFID tag 58 carried by animal 11. For example, a mobile application on user device 49 allows programming of feeding station 10 (step 200).
  • the animal profile comprises, but is not limited to, name, age, sex, breed and weight of animal 11, activity level, an indication as to whether animal 11 is pregnant or nursing, and whether animal 11 has health issues such as diabetes, or whether animal 11 is overweight, underweight or needs to maintain its current weight.
  • the current diet of animal 1 1 may be entered, e.g. a breakdown in percentages of the raw food, kibble and wet food.
  • the user may select foods or food products 17 for dispensation from a list from database 53 with types of food products
  • the 34 calculates the cat's nutritional requirements, such as the recommended number of daily calories required for that particular cat, and determines the number of daily feedings, feeding times, quantity of food product 17 per feeding event, and presents the recommendations to the user for review, editing and approval. According to the Animal
  • the average 8-pound cat requires about 240 calories per day.
  • monitoring the weight and feeding habits of animal 11 allows the microprocessor 34 to adjust the nutritional requirements as needed.
  • the nutritional requirements are also dependent on individual metabolism, genetics, health status, environment, outdoor temperature, and other individual factors. Customization of the daily feeding regimen for a particular animal 11 may also be performed manually by the user, if desired.
  • feeding station 10 With feeding station 10 programmed, supply hoppers 16a, 16b are replenished with the desired food product 17 for feeding animal 11, and feeding station
  • step 202 when an object approaches and enters the tunnel entrance 22, presence detecting devices 60 detect the presence of the object, and when the object approaches feeding platform 28, animal sensing module 40 is actuated to trigger RFID reader 55 to transmit interrogating signals in search for any RFID tag 58 within its read range; and within feeding chamber 18.
  • RFID reader 55 acts as a presence detecting device 60 by periodically transmitting interrogation signals in search for any RFID tag 58 within its read range (step 204); and within feeding chamber 18, such that a feeding sequence can be initiated.
  • step 206 a determination is made as to whether the unique identifier associated with RFID tag 58 is obtained, and if the unique identifier can not be obtained then step 204 is repeated, otherwise a query is issued to the database 53 (step 208) to determine whether the unique identifier is associated with animal 11 authorized to feed from feeding station 10 (step 210).
  • the process ends (step 212), and subsequently returns to step 201, and feeding station 10 is placed into standby mode; otherwise an animal profile associated with the acquired unique identifier is retrieved from database 53 (step 214), and the animal profile sets out the type and quantity of food animal 11 is allowed to eat, including the feeding frequency.
  • step 216 a determination is made as to whether animal 11 has consumed the maximum amount of food permitted in a predetermined time period.
  • the process ends (step 218) and subsequently returns to step 201, otherwise the initial tare of hopper 64 and disposal bins 112, 114 in an empty state is recorded and the weight is offset or recalibrated to zero (step 220), and sweeping member servo 174 spins out hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 from weighing platform chamber 19 to feeding chamber 18 such that hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 is positioned directly on feeding platform 28 (step 222), in order to receive food product 17.
  • the type of food product 17 to be dispensed is determined (step 224); when food product 17 of a first type (A) is required, then microprocessor 34 outputs a set of instructions to auger motor unit 94a of auger member 90a of food dispensing mechanism 63 to dispense the allowed food portion to weigh hopper 64 from trough 62a holding the first type (A) of food product 17 (step 226); and when food product 17 of a second type (B) is required, then microprocessor 34 outputs a set of instructions to auger motor unit 94b of auger member 90b of food dispensing mechanism 63 to dispense the allowed food portion to weigh hopper 64 from trough 62b holding the second type (B) of food product 17 (step 228).
  • supply hoppers 16a, 16b may hold the same food product 17 or different food products 17 feed depending on the diet of animal 11, or user preferences.
  • food product 17 in weigh hopper 64 is weighed, and a determination is made as to whether food product 17 in weigh hopper 64 has the desired or correct weight (step 230). If the weight is not correct, then the process returns to step
  • the dispensed weight of food product 17 is taken by load cell sensors 116a, 116b and 116c, and recorded in database 53 (step 234), and animal 11 consumes food product
  • step 236 Following the feeding event, typically indicated by exit of animal 11, as detected by RFID reader 55 or the tunnel entrance sensors 60 (step 238), in step 240 a determination is made as to the type (A or B) of food product 17 that was dispensed based on steps 226, 228. If food product 17 of a first type (A) was dispensed, then sweeping member servo 174 is actuated to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member
  • sweeping member servo 174 is actuated to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140 anti -clockwise, such that food product 17 remaining on top surface 131 is been swept by leading half-portion 190 into disposal bin 114 (step 244). Removing unconsumed food product 17 prevents another animal 11 from wandering into feeding chamber 18 and ingesting a food product 17 that is not intended for that other animal 11.
  • step 246 the weight of each food type (A or B) in disposal bin 112 and/or 114 is recorded, and a determination of the amount of food consumed by animal 11 (step 248), and aspects associated with the feeding event are recorded, such as: date and time, time of entry, time of departure, unique identifier associated with animal 11; bowl identifier, type of food product 17, manufacturer of food product 17, amount of food product 17 dispensed, amount of food product 17 consumed, feeding rate, and stored in database 53 (step 250), and feeding station 10 returns to stand-by mode and waits to detect another RFID tag 58 to initiate another feeding session.
  • Figure 12 shows another embodiment of a hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 300 resembling half of a base-less frustoconical bowl, with hemi-circular upstanding wall 302 in a vertical axis, and having a radius that is greater than the radius of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136.
  • Hemi-circular upstanding wall 302 comprises free top edge 304, and free opposed side edges 306, 308 orthogonal to free top edge 304, and bottom edge 310.
  • Angled hemi-circular platform wall 312 extending inwardly from bottom edge 310 of hemi-circular upstanding wall 302, oblique to the vertical axis with edges 312, 314, and includes free, bottom edge 310 abutting top surface 131 of feed platform 28.
  • the radius of angled hemi-circular platform wall 312 that is substantially the same as the radius of hemi-circular disc of feeding platform 28 and hemi-cylindrical, squat mounting member 136.
  • divider 322 is wedge-shaped and comprises spine 324 with slanting walls 326, 328 extending therefrom and terminating at free bottom edges 330, 332, respectively.
  • sweeping member 300 comprises first compartment 340 for receiving food product 17 of a first type (A) and first compartment 342 for receiving food product 17 of a first type (B).
  • sweeping member 300 disposed in a first position, as shown in Figure 13 a, a known quantity of food product 17 of a first type (A) from load jaw section 120a is conveyed into chute section 128a onto feeding platform 28, and is received in first compartment 342.
  • sweeping member servo 174 is actuated to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 300 90 degrees anti-clockwise into a second position, as shown in Figure 13b, such that any food product 17 of a first type (A) remaining on top surface 131 is been swept by slanting wall 328 of trailing divider 322 into disposal bin 114.
  • the weight of food product 17 of food type (A) in disposal bin 114 is then recorded, and a determination of the amount of food product 17 of food type (A) consumed by animal 11 is made.
  • sweeping member servo 174 is actuated to rotate hemi- frustoconical sweeping member 300 90 degrees anti-clockwise into the first position as shown in Figure 13 a.
  • a known quantity of food product 17 of a second type (B) from load jaw section 120b is conveyed into chute section 128b onto feeding platform 28, and is received in second compartment 344.
  • sweeping member servo 174 is actuated to rotate hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 300 180 degrees clockwise to place hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 300 into a third position, as shown in Figure 13 c, such that any food product 17 of a first type (B) remaining on top surface 131 is been swept by slanting wall 326 of trailing divider 322 into disposal bin 112.
  • the weight of food product 17 of food type (A) in disposal bin 114 is recorded, and a determination of the amount of food product 17 of food type (A) consumed by animal 11 is made.
  • aspects associated with the feeding event are recorded, such as: date and time, time of entry, time of departure, unique identifier associated with animal 11; bowl in database 53. Subsequently, hemi- frustoconical sweeping member 300 is returned to the first position, and feed station 10 returns to stand-by mode and waits to detect another RFID tag 58 to initiate another feeding session.
  • divider 322 is removably attached between longitudinal angled wall 316 and hemi-circular upstanding wall 302 to form compartments 340, 342 of equal size or differing sizes, depending on the animal 11, food type, diet or feeding schedule.
  • multiple dividers 322 are removably attached between longitudinal angled wall 316 and hemi-circular upstanding wall 302 to form multiple compartments of equal size or differing sizes.
  • feeding station comprises a plurality of food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said first food product
  • a second food dispensing unit having means for dispensing controlled portions of said second food product
  • a weigh hopper having a first section for receiving said first food product from said first food dispensing unit; and a second section for receiving said second food product from said second food dispensing unit;
  • a feeding platform within said enclosure for receiving said food product from said weigh hopper, and a feeding platform sweeping member comprising a first compartment to receive said first food product and a second compartment to receive said second food product; and whereby feeding platform sweeping member is caused to clear unconsumed said first food product and unconsumed second food product off said feeding platform.
  • the diet of animal 11 including food consumption, feeding patterns are monitored to provide an up-to-date health report, and notifications pertaining to any changes in the health status of animal 11, or feeding habits, are provided based on historical data, predetermined thresholds, or user-defined thresholds.
  • Such reports may also be made available to a third party, such as an owner of animal 11, guardian, veterinarian, animal hospital, manufacturer of food product 17, or insurance provider. Alerts are issued when the bounds of these thresholds are exceeded.
  • other feeding stations 10 may be added and communicatively linked to each other as a means for having a feeding regimen for one or more animals.
  • Such a configuration is especially desirable when feeding is required for extended time periods when an animal owner is not available, or simply out of the sheer convenience of not having to refill the hopper 16 repeatedly.
  • feeding station 10 may include a plurality of supply hoppers 16a to 16n filled with different, or like, food products 17, and associated plurality of troughs 62a to 62n each associated dispensing mechanisms 63 under control of microprocessor 34. Accordingly, a single program may include instructions for execution by microprocessor 34 to control individual dispensing mechanisms 63, in accordance with a desired feeding regimen.
  • an accelerometer and/or gyroscope are associated with RFID tag 58 to acquire data related to the activity of animal 11, and such data is correlated to the feeding program of animal 11 and is used to adjust the feeding regimen or diet of animal 11 and to track the overall health of animal 11.
  • feeding station 10 comprises input/output (I/O) devices, such as a microphone, speaker, and image capture device to permit visualization of a feeding animal 11 and communication with animal 11 while feeding to reduce stress caused by separation anxiety.
  • I/O input/output
  • recorded user messages may be played via the speaker.
  • the display may be a touch screen for receiving inputs from a user, and a speech recognition unit may also receive inputs from the user.
  • a user may override existing feeding programmed instructions, and may select to dispense a particular amount of food product 17 at a particular time.
  • animal 11 is associated with an active RFID tag 58 or transmitter that broadcasts the encoded unique identifier periodically.
  • animal 11 is associated with a semi-active RFID tag 58 or a semi-passive RFID tag 58.
  • tunnel 20 comprises baffles 25 or scallops integrally formed with base 15, which substantially minimize the possibility of more than one animal 1 1 entering the tunnel 20 simultaneously, and eating the same meal; while also discouraging cats 11 from sleeping in tunnel 20.
  • lid 23 comprises shark fin members 27 associated with upper portion 12, such as lid 23, to further discourage animals 11 from resting on top of the enclosure.
  • parts of feeding station 10 that come into contact with food product 17 are removably attached to feeding station 10 for maintenance or cleaning, such as by a manual cleaning process, an automated washing process or by a dishwasher.
  • food dispensing unit 24, supply hoppers 16a, 16b, gate control 65a, 65b, troughs 62a, 62b, augers 90a, 90b, weigh hopper 64, chute 26, hemi-circular disc-shaped feeding platform 28, and hemi-frustoconical sweeping member 140, 300, divider 322, disposal bins 112, 114 may be removed for cleaning or maintenance, and can be subsequently introduced into feeding station 10.
  • these removably attachable parts may include a magnetic assembly for coupling to, and decoupling from, another magnetic assembly on feeding station 10.
  • other suitable fastening means such as screws, nuts and bolts, are employed.
  • User interface 52 may include button actuators of the capacitive or piezoelectric sensor type, for sending electrical selection signals to microprocessor 34.
  • the button actuators can be disposed on user interface 52.
  • Liquid crystal display (LCD) driver circuitry for receiving predetermined display data from microprocessor 34 drives an LCD display with alphanumeric characters for providing user feedback.
  • Microprocessor 34 can be programmable to permit the manufacturer to install pre-set control algorithms and auger control data for all valid selection combinations. Microprocessor 34 receives the electrical selection signals from the user interface 52 for accessing the programmed auger calibration data and calculating the necessary volume to dispense. Once calculated, microprocessor 34 executes a control algorithm and issues corresponding auger control data also referred to as a driving signal, which can include the specific auger motor unit 94a or 94b to be actuated and the quantity of food to be dispensed from its corresponding dispensing mechanism 63. The dispensed food may include any one of: feed, kibble, grub, toys, food granules, and fodder.
  • microprocessor 34 also permits tracking of remaining food product 17 in troughs 62a, 62b. Since the volume of each dispense, and the full level volume of supply hoppers 16a, 16b, is known, microprocessor 34 can determine the remaining volume of food product 17 in real-time, such that a visual and/or audio alert is emitted once a predetermined empty level threshold is reached. Of course, a low level indication can be provided when the remaining volume of food product 17 has reached a predetermined level. This alert can signal the user to refill supply hoppers 16a, 16b.
  • feeding station 10 may also be configured to dispense fluids, such as water, in accordance with an animal-specific feeding regimen, and track consumption thereof, in accordance with the methods and systems described above.
  • fluids such as water
  • hemi-circular feeding platform sweeping member may be formed of other shapes, such as, but not limited to a circle, rectangle, triangle, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, heptagon, decagon, among others.
  • feeding station 10 comprises a connection to a water main to provide fresh, clean water at all times, especially when animal 11 is left alone for extended periods, or simply for convenience. Accordingly, a water bowl is provided with sensors to automatically sense the water level and the microprocessor 34 controls a water main solenoid valve to open as needed. [0099] Although the description above discloses a cat as an exemplary animal
  • animal 11 may be any member of the animal species.
  • Computing devices 49 include a general-purpose computer system comprising, for example, a processing unit, such as processor, system memory.
  • the system also comprises as input/output (I/O) devices coupled to the processor via an I/O controller.
  • the input/output (I/O) devices include, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, microphone, touch screen, a printing device, display screen, speaker, etc.
  • a communications interface device provides networking capabilities using Wi-Fi, and/or other suitable network format, to enable connection to shared or remote drives, one or more networked computers, or other networked devices, via the communications network 51.
  • the components of computer system may be coupled by an interconnection mechanism, which may include one or more buses (e.g., between components that are integrated within a same machine) and/or a network (e.g., between components that reside on separate discrete machines).
  • the interconnection mechanism enables communications (e.g., data, instructions) to be exchanged between system components.
  • the processor executes sequences of instructions contained in memory, such as a machine readable medium.
  • the machine readable medium includes any mechanism that provides (i.e., stores and/or transmits) information in a form accessible by a machine (e.g., a computer, network device, personal digital assistant, a smartphone, any device with a set of one or more processors, etc.).
  • machine readable media includes recordable/non-recordable media (e.g., read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; a hard disk drive,etc), as well as electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.).
  • the processor and operating system together define a computer platform for which application programs in high-level programming languages are written. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to a particular computer system platform, processor, operating system, or network. Also, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to a specific programming language or computer system. Further, it should be appreciated that other appropriate programming languages and other appropriate computer systems could also be used.
  • the operating system may be, for example, iPhone OS (e.g. iOS), Windows Mobile, Google Android, Symbian, or the like.
  • Server computer 50 may be a web server (or a series of servers) running a network operating system, examples of which may include but are not limited to: Microsoft® Windows® XP Server; Novell® Netware®; or Red Hat® Linux®, for example (Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States, other countries, or both).
  • Microsoft® Windows® XP Server Novell® Netware®
  • Red Hat® Linux® for example
  • Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both
  • Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both
  • Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both
  • Server computer 50 may execute a web server application, examples of which may include but are not limited to: Microsoft IIS, Novell WebserverTM, or Apache® Webserver, that allows for HTTP (i.e., HyperText Transfer Protocol) access to server computer via network 51 (Webserver is a trademark of Novell Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both; and Apache is a registered trademark of Apache Software Foundation in the United States, other countries, or both).
  • Network 51 may be connected to one or more secondary networks (e.g., network CC), examples of which may include but are not limited to: a local area network; a wide area network; or an intranet, for example.
  • Database 53 may be, include or interface to, for example, the OracleTM relational database sold commercially by Oracle Corp. Other databases, such as
  • database 53 is communicatively coupled to server computer 50.
  • the feeding station 10, user devices 49 and computer server 50 may communicate with each other using network-enabled code.
  • Network enabled code may be, include or interface to, for example, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Dynamic HTML, Extensible Markup Language (XML), Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), Document Style Semantics and Specification Language (DSSSL), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMWL), Wireless Markup Language (WML), JavaTM, JavaTM Beans, Enterprise JavaTM Beans, JiniTM, C, C++, Perl, UNIX Shell, Visual Basic or Visual Basic Script, Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), ColdFusionTM or other compilers, assemblers, interpreters or other computer languages or platforms.
  • HTML Hypertext Markup Language
  • XML Extensible Markup Language
  • XSL Extensible Stylesheet Language
  • DSSSL Document Style Semantics and Specification Language
  • Cascading Style Sheets CSS
  • Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language SMWL
  • WML Wireless Markup Language
  • JavaTM JavaTM Beans
  • the communications network 51 can include a series of network nodes
  • network devices e.g., the clients and servers
  • network devices can be interconnected by network devices and wired and/or wireless communication lines (such as, public carrier lines, private lines, satellite lines, etc.) that enable the network nodes to communicate.
  • the transfer of data between network nodes can be facilitated by network devices, such as routers, switches, multiplexers, bridges, gateways, etc., that can manipulate and/or route data from an originating node to a server node regardless of dissimilarities in the network topology (such as, bus, star, token ring, mesh, or hybrids thereof), spatial distance (such as, LAN, MAN, WAN, Internet), transmission technology (such as, TCP/IP, Systems Network Architecture), data type (such as, data, voice, video, multimedia), nature of connection (such as, switched, non-switched, dial-up, dedicated, or virtual), and/or physical link (such as, optical fiber, coaxial cable, twisted pair, wireless, etc.) between the correspondents within the network.
  • network devices such as

Abstract

La présente invention concerne une station d'alimentation d'au moins un animal, ladite station d'alimentation comprenant : au moins une trémie d'alimentation contenant un produit alimentaire ; une unité de distribution d'aliment présentant des moyens de distribution de portions contrôlées dudit produit alimentaire ; une trémie de pesée pour recevoir ledit produit alimentaire depuis ladite unité de distribution d'aliment ; une plateforme d'alimentation discoïde semi-circulaire pour recevoir ledit produit alimentaire depuis ladite trémie de pesée ; et un élément de balayage semi-tronconique comprenant au moins un compartiment destiné à contenir ledit produit alimentaire sur la plateforme d'alimentation discoïde semi-circulaire ; ledit élément de balayage semi-tronconique pouvant tourner sur une surface supérieure de ladite plateforme d'alimentation discoïde semi-circulaire pour éliminer le produit non consommé de ladite plateforme d'alimentation après un événement d'alimentation.
EP16904854.3A 2016-06-15 2016-06-15 Procédé et système pour fournir des portions de nourriture contrôlées à un animal et évaluer la santé de l'animal Withdrawn EP3328191A4 (fr)

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PCT/CA2016/050697 WO2017214698A1 (fr) 2016-06-15 2016-06-15 Procédé et système pour fournir des portions de nourriture contrôlées à un animal et évaluer la santé de l'animal

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FR3080000B1 (fr) * 2018-04-16 2021-06-11 Specialites Pet Food Dispositif de suivi de la consommation d'aliments par un animal tel qu'un mammifere, par exemple un chat

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EP0819921A1 (fr) * 1996-07-15 1998-01-21 Societe Des Produits Nestle S.A. Dispositif de pesée en temps réel
US8100084B1 (en) * 2010-01-15 2012-01-24 Abramson Michael T System and method for weight management of one or more pets
US8656862B2 (en) * 2011-10-25 2014-02-25 Navin Manickchan Automatic animal feeding and watering device
FR2991552B1 (fr) * 2012-06-06 2015-04-17 Agronomique Inst Nat Rech Installation pour le suivi de la quantite d'aliments ingeres par des animaux, notamment des volailles
CN203446338U (zh) * 2013-09-16 2014-02-26 张覃婧 自动宠物喂养机
AU2016214937B2 (en) * 2015-02-06 2019-07-25 Lioness Feeding Technology Inc. Automated method and system for feeding animals

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